Broncos & NFL

Broncos have motivation for playoff game against Chargers

All videos from the week leading up to the Denver Broncos facing the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014.

Nothing about this Broncos season has been under the radar. Peyton Manning twitches, and it's national news.

That hasn't been the case for the San Diego Chargers, who sneaked into Denver in early December and left with a victory as a huge underdog. Two weeks later, the Chargers sidled past Kansas City in Week 17 and into the playoffs — with some help from the officiating — and Sunday they crept into Cincinnati and advanced, only a bit more assured this time, a bit louder.

Now, finally, the football world is noticing. The Broncos certainly have. Philip Rivers' band of Cinderellas is dancing, and Denver will be more than happy to shatter that glass slipper come this Sunday in the divisional playoff round.

"I was a little happy, you know, because they put one on us the last time," Denver receiver Andre Cald- well said of learning his team's opponent when the Chargers won in Cincinnati. "I feel like we owe them a little something. It adds a little punch. We're already motivated, but it adds a little punch, makes us go a little harder, work a little harder."

A month ago, the Broncos were the bullies, poised to bruise the Chargers and kick them swiftly out of Denver. Instead, the Chargers dominated time of possession and pulled off the upset, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.

And, as much as vengeance plays into this matchup, after what happened last January, the Broncos were going to be chippy no matter which team landed on their doorstep.

"It really didn't matter who we played," receiver Demaryius Thomas said Monday. "I'm excited just to be in the playoffs and play again. So that was the main thing. But it's a great opponent."

Denver has the home field and is a 10-point favorite, similar circumstance to a season ago when it lost 38-35 in double overtime to Baltimore. Since 2005, No. 6 seeds such as the Chargers have gone 6-2 against top-seeded teams, such as the Broncos.

Upset is the currency of the NFL playoffs of late. So the Broncos would be wise to look back at that last loss to San Diego as much as look forward to avoiding a Round 2 upset. They're not talking blame — a Thursday night home game, missing Wes Welker — but lessons.

"I think you always look back," said Broncos coach John Fox. "You try to learn from that. You try to get motivated by the future. But you want to keep your focus in the present, in the now, and that's what we're trying to do with our football team."

For now, the Broncos will need to focus on matching the Chargers physically, something receiver Eric Decker said will be one of the biggest challenges after not doing so in the Dec. 12 matchup. The Broncos will have to stop San Diego's running game and combat its improving defensive line. Oh, and there's Rivers, who has re-emerged as one of the NFL's best quarterbacks. In a game that likely will come down to offense, offense, offense, he could give Manning a run for his money.

Unlike the Broncos, who have been steadily good all season with few major dips, the Chargers are on the upswing. Fox pointed out that San Diego has played well when it needed to — late in the season with this five-game winning streak — which in the end is all that counts.

What counts comes Sunday, not a loss in December. What counts is whether Manning — and his team — can deliver when it matters.

If playing the Chargers brings that extra punch, as Caldwell suggested — well, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Streaking: The Chargers have won five consecutive games, most recently beating the Bengals 27-10 in Cincinnati in the first round of the playoffs. With help from Ryan Mathews' 127 yards rushing, the Chargers defeated the Broncos 27-20 in Denver on Dec. 12.

Who's hot: Shareece Wright had a 30-yard interception return against the Bengals. The cornerback also made five tackles and a quarterback hit.

Who's not: San Diego's passing game. Philip Rivers threw for only 128 yards against the Bengals. Rookie of the year candidate Keenan Allen made only two catches for 21 yards.

Key stat: The Chargers turned two interceptions and one fumble by Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton into only two field goals in their playoff opener.

FYI: The Chargers began their winning streak Dec. 8, when they beat the New York Giants 37-14 in San Diego. Coachspeak: "We misaligned on it," Chargers coach Mike McCoy said of a missed Kansas City field goal on an illegal formation by the Chargers that got his team into the playoffs as the AFC's sixth seed. "I'm not going to deny it. But, hey, those calls all balance themselves out over the year. They're part of the game. We're all human."

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